believed ♪ >> "amazing grace." that does it for us. thanks very much for watching. . that does it for us. thanks very much for watching. "early start" begins now. could newtown be the tipping point for gun control? the white house, a major retailer, national polls and even some pro-gun lawmakers have shifted. first, cautious step for school kids in newtown. most of them head back to school just hours from now. and is it a breakthrough for fiscal cliff talks? the two sides closer than ever with just two weeks left to go. good morning, everyone. welcome to "early start." i'm john berman here in new york.

>> and i'm zoraida sambolin, live in newtown, connecticut. we'll be bringing you the very late ef on the investigation as john said, the children are starting school as well with an increased police presence, will it be enough for the parents and of course we have another funeral we are following this morning for you as well. john? >> another beautiful young child we buried up there, four days after the school massacre that numbed the entire nation. this is the latest. this unspeakable tragedy is reigniting the gun control debate all over the country. president already taking steps to ban assault rifles with his vice president leading the charge. plus, this brand new overnight, dick's sporting goods has banned the sale of ar-15 rifles and other guns like it for now. the modern sporting rifle section of its website, totally blank this morning. the company releasing a statement saying, quote, out of respect for the victims and their families we have removed all guns in our store nearest to newtown and suspended the sale

of modern sporting rifles in all of our stores chainwide. grief counselors will be on hand this morning. sandy hook elementary school remains closed. jessica rekos will be laid to rest today. she couldn't wait until her 10th birthday to get a horse. she adored them. another big story out of washington where there's been huge movement in the fiscal cliff wrangling with 14 days left to go before huge across-the-board tax hikes. overnight we learned that president obama made an eye-opening new offer in talks with house speaker john boehner. under this new proposal, tax rates would go up on incomes above $400,000. for years the president has campaigned that that number should start at $250,000. he's also offering some new spending cuts to go along with this. speaker boehner's latest

proposal called for the tax hikes to kick in at $1 million. cnn's dan lothian is in washington with the latest on this. dan, it really does look like there is some movement. >> it does. this movement came during a meeting the president had with speaker john boehner yesterday at the white house. that meeting lasted for 45 minutes. it was the third time they had met in the past eight days. you're right, it is pretty dramatic because the president for years now had been holding steadfast to that $250,000 threshold, saying that the bush era tax cuts would extend for them but not those households making more than that. now he raises it to $400,000. so that is seen as a major breakthrough. but republicans, while encouraged by these latest developments, also say that the math really doesn't add up. that the president's proposal leans more heavily towards new taxes. now, as part of that proposal that the president has cut put

out there, he's calling for $1.2 trillion in new revenue, $1.22 trillion in spending cuts.but republican aides, again, saying that the math doesn't quite add up because they say that the consumer price index or the cpi really increases tax revenue by $95 billion. so when the president is talking about $1.2 trillion, they're saying it's more like $1.3 trillion. there's still distance there between both sides but much closer than it was a few days ago, john. >> dan, it does seem both sides are indicating there is movement but neither side is willing to say it's a complete breakthrough yet. with just 14 days to go, should we be optimistic that a deal will be reached? >> i certainly think people are optimistic. clearly john boehner will have to go back to the conservatives in his party who have been resisting any movement whatsoever in taxes going up on wealthy americans. and president obama also has to sort of prod some in his party

and the laeb unions and others who don't like what they see so far. overall when you look at the distance that was there between both sides, just a week ago, there is some optimism that this can get done before the end of the year. >> dan lothian in washington this morning. the house speaker will be meeting with house republicans today. that could be an interesting and contentious meeting. thanks very much, dan. back to zoraida in newtown now. back now to the gun control debate that's been reignited by the massacre at the sandy hook elementary right here in newtown, connecticut. it seems more and more americans are moving in the direction of tighter gun laws in this country in the aftermath of that tragedy. this morning we have learned that president obama is moving fast on getting a ban on assault rifles. that is according to "the washington post." another big new development overnight for you as well, dick's sporting goods store has now suspended the sale of all assault rifles in its stores. this is nationwide.

emily schmidt is live from washington right now with all of the details. good morning to you. >> zoraida, good morning to you. we have heard from even democratic lawmakers that this was in newtown a game changer. we're beginning to see potentially the impact of these shifting landscapes, especially in commercial ways and political ways. we start with commercialized. dick's sporting goods, one of the nation's largest sporting goods retailers has said in newtown, connecticut, the store that's closest to the shooting, they'll remove all guns from the stores. nationwide they'll be suspending the sale of some semiautomatic weapons. they say they are doing so out of respect for the victims and for their families. then you take a look at what is happening politically. "the washington post" is reporting this morning that yesterday president obama directed some members of his cabinet to come up with proposals immediately to take a look at new gun control measures, including potentially the end of the assault weapons,

banning that, again, after that law lapsed back in 2004. we are hearing more from the white house that they want to see chaumpg in this. listen to what the president said just this week. >> in the coming weeks i'll use whatever power this office holds to engage my fellow citizens, from law enforcement to mental health professionals to parents and educators in an effort aimed at preventing more tragedies like this. >> as we hear more about this from washington, the one place we are not hearing anything about it, zoraida, is from the nra. they've not made a statement sense a written statement on friday. they've suspended their facebook page and twitter feed has remained silent. zoraida? >> emily, i understand you also have new polls to share with us this morning. >> we have three different polls that are really showing a potential spike in public opinion change on this. i want to start with one from cbs news that was taken just over the weekend saying do you think gun control rules should

be more strict or less strict? there has been a significant change in this. since more strict, 57% say that now compared to 39% back in april. the amount of people who think the gun control should be less strict has dropped. similar findings from an abc news/"washington post" poll, do you support or oppose stricter gun control laws? take a look at how that number has gone up since august. one more interesting thing, the pugh research center asked people do you think the shootings reflect a larger societal problem in their polls say 47% of americans that were polled think it does. contrast that to what happened after the aurora shootings earlier this year. at that time, the number just 24%. the question is whether this quick spike in public opinion change will reflengt any legislative changes down the line. zoraida? >> i know a lot of people are hoping so. emily schmidt, live in

washington for us. thank you very much. 6:30 eastern soledad o'brien will be joined by congresswoman sheila jackson lee. the texas democrat is calling for an immediate ban on all assault weapons. soledad will be joined by senator joe manchin, the west virginia democrat is an nra member. he says now is the time to act on tightening up our gun laws as well. as we said, newtown schools will re-open today. but they will be open two hours later than usual. sandy hook remains an active crime scene. it is still closed. hundreds of newtown teachers and staff met with a national expert on kids and bereavement, as well as state mental health counselors. for the students and their families it is a return to healthy and helpful routine. here's sandra endo. >> reporter: in the wake of tragedy, a step towards normalcy, for newtown kids, that means going back to school. >> we also are going to be a little bit worried, because we

know what we thought was a secure school had this happen to them. >> reporter: but facing fear may be the first step to overcome this tragedy. >> children have to get back to school. if we let this sort of terror in our lives anywhere in this country win, you know, we've lost. we've got to get our kids back to school again. >> reporter: classes are resuming for 5,400 students in the district except for those at sandy hook elementary. monday all schools were closed as teachers and administrators trained with experts on how to handle the aftermath. many parents we spoke with agree, kids belong back in school. >> i think that one of the big things we have to do is have some sort of normalcy. and school is part of that. >> unfortunately, you know, we're living in this world where evil prevails sometimes.

but we're just believing that good will overcome this. >> reporter: sandy hook elementary remains a crime scene. furniture and supplies were moved to chalk hill middle school in neighboring monroe where sandy hook students will eventually resume classes. >> when the children come in whenever the school is started, they walk into a classroom that will look as close as possible as their classroom they left. >> grief counselors and police will be at newtown schools as classes resume and principals have asked parents to talk to their child before returning to school, because they can't control what their child may hear at school. and teachers will be addressing what happened in an age appropriate manner. zoraida? >> sandra endo, live for us here. thank you. connecticut governor malloy is calling for a nationwide moment of silence friday morning exactly one week after the shooting at the sandy hook elementary school. he's also calling on churches to ring their bells 26 times.

of course that is once for each of the viblts who were killed in friday's massacre. the governor sounding shaken when he explained it why he took it upon himself to tell loved ones that their loved ones was not coming out. >> it was evident to me that there was a reluctance to tell parents and loved ones that the person they were waiting for was not going to return. i made the decision that to have that go on any long er was wron. >> malloy says he fully supports action at the federal level to tighten the nation's gun control laws. and every mass shooting leaves us asking the exact same question. why? what drives someone to such violence, does the brain hold

clues for us? later this hour, chief medical correspondent dr. sanjay gupta is going to look at that for us. and it's another sign the tide coulding turning and the debate over gun control in america. coming up, the wall street firm taking a stand, putting politics ahead of profits. ♪ [ engine revs ] ♪ [ male announcer ] oh what fun it is to ride. get the mercedes-benz on your wish list at the winter event going on now through december 31st. [ santa ] ho, ho, ho! [ male announcer ] lease a 2013 e350 for $579 a month at your local mercedes-benz dealer. i just served my mother-in-law your chicken noodle soup but she loved it so much... i told her it was homemade. everyone tells a little white lie now and then. but now she wants my recipe [ clears his throat ] [ softly ] she's right behind me isn't she? [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup.

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u.s. stock futures are up this morning. markets ended sharply higher yesterday on all optimism that a fiscal cliff deal could come by the end of the year. christine romans is here right now minding our business this morning. she's looking at some of the fallout in the gun industry in the wake of these connecticut school shootings. >> interesting story breaking this morning. cerberus capital management, a private equity firm, making direct investments in companies, investors do, you have teachers, pension funds invest in private equity. listen carefully. cerberus owns freedom group.

which owns bushmaster, the company that made the assault rifle that police say was used to kill all of those children and six teachers. this morning, cerberus capital management is saying it will hire someone to try to sell its freedom group company, to sell bushmaster, to sell the company that made that rifle. this is what they say basically. it is apparent that the sandy hook tragedy was a watershed event that has raised the national debate on gun control to an unprecedented level. it is not our role to take positions or attempt to shape or influence the gun control policy debate. there are actions that we as a firm can take. here's one reason why private equity might be taking a stand. it's quite rare really for private equity -- after a news event for a company to stay to sell its stake in what is a controversial product. because teachers, the california teachers retirement fund is invested in cerberus investments. follow this for me. california teachers invested in

a private equity fund that invests in the company that makes guns. guns that killed teachers. you can see that being difficult. >> everyone says is this a turning point in gun debate? if you're seeing big money decide that it's a bad investment to be involved with certain gun manufacturers, that's a big development. >> until now, private equity investors and others have weathered controversy about gun control. but there's a different feeling this time. i mean, you're talking very specifically about a product that killed children and a lot of people are talking about that. you'll have 20 some funerals this week and you're going to keep hearing the words bushmaster .223. dick's sporting goods says it will stop selling some automatic rifles out of their stores and they're taking all of the guns out of their store in newtown, connecticut. >> thank you very much, christine romans. other news, james clapper is

taking on as director of national intelligence. cnn learned the president has asked him to stay in the position and he agreed to remain for the foreseeable future. clapper has taken heat from republicans for the administrati administration's response to the september 11th attack on the u.s. mission in benghazi. fedex grounded hundreds of packages never made it to their nebraska destinations. postal inspectors say a delivery driver working as a private contractor for fedex was spotted dumping packages from his truck on to the street last month. only about 30 of the more than 400 packages were found intact and finally delivered. the driver was fired. yeah, i'll bet. the new york mets they've exported cy young award winner r.a. dickey. he traded to the toronto blue jays in a seven player deal that will send one of baseball's top catching prospects back to new york. dickey, a 38-year-old knuckleballer, a great guy who throws a fantastic pitch, he was on baseball's scrap heap and then he became the king of the hill last year, winning the cy

young, going 20-6 for the new york mets. meanwhile, he had served in hawaii since the day it became a state in 1959. this morning, tributes are pouring in for senator danielle inouye. he was a veteran of world war ii, he lost an arm charging machine gun nests in italy. that service earned him the medal of honor. he witnessed the bombing of pearl harbor as a high school student. daniel inouye, a hero pro provided great service over a long time. a report will be delivered to congress as early as today. just ahead of congressional hearings this week, the report was ordered by secretary of state hillary clinton although she will not testify due to that illness. she had a concussion. she's recovering right now. the attack back in september in

benghazi, killed four americans, including christopher stevens, the u.s. ambassador to libya. it gives one man special insight into both aurora and the newtown shooting tragedies. his close connection to both events, coming up. concentrated broth to add delicious flavor to your skillet dish in just one stir. mmm! [ female announcer ] cook, meet compliments. get recipes at flavorboost.com. [ female announcer ] it's hard to see opportunity in today's challenging environment. unless you have the right perspective. bny mellon wealth management has the vision and experience to look beyond the obvious. we'll uncover opportunities, find hidden risk, and make success a reality. bny mellon wealth management

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welcome back to "early start." we're live from newtown, connecticut. it is an emotional and difficult day here with some children heading back to school this morning. the mother of noah pozner, has release the eulogy she gave yesterday before she buried her little man. some of it was published in "the new york times." we want to share some of the touching words with you this morning. here they are. the sky is crying and the flags are at half mast. it is a sad, sad day but it is also your day, noah, my little man. i will miss your forceful and

purposeful little steps, stomping through our house. i will miss your perpetual smile, the twinkle in your dark blue eyes, framed by eyelashes that would be the envy of any lady in this room. she goes on to say, your melody will linger in our hearts forever. momma loves you, little man. our condolences to the pozner family. the post went viral, in it liza long says her aim was to describe the challenge of raising a child who she says is seriously disturbed. the blog post was a cry for help. long spoke last night to cnn's erin burnett. >> sometimes for no apparent reason he will just turn into this absolute raging -- i don't know how to describe it. you'd have to see it to believe it. i stopped and said to myself,

you know, this isn't normal. i have to face up to the fact that i have a sick son and we need help. >> lies da telling cnn she loves her son but he, quote, terrifies me. for one connecticut man, it is hard for him to believe what has happened at sandy hook elementary school. steven barton has been through a mass shooting before. he was seriously wounded in the shooting at the movie theater in aurora, colorado, back in july as you recall. like so many, his heart breaks for all of the victims. but unlike others he knows the violence and fear firsthand. >> our country is long overdue for a serious discussion about guns, about mental health. you'll make it a lot harder for criminals to get illegal guns. >> barton works for an organization devoted to preventing gun violence. the postal service has

established a post office box for anyone anywhere who wants to reach out to the people of newtown, connecticut. here it is for you. message of condolence can be sent to p.o. box 3700, newtown, connecticut. zip is 06470. it's there on the screen for you to read as well. we have another tune for you to help, to find out how you can help those that were affected by this tragedy, go to cnn.com/impact. there are a lot of options for you there. so many people across the country who really want to figure out a way to help. that's a really good option for you. amid shift in public opinion in the wake of the newtown tragedy. he is sticking to his guns. you'll hear from texas governor rick perry. that's coming up. you know how to mix business... with business. and you...rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle. and go.

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two-week warning until the fiscal cliff and a one-on-one meeting at the white house results in major movement towards a deal. the tide could be turning in the gun control debate. a major corporation and even some republicans showing seens of change. an anxious morning in newtown, connecticut. many students and parents here putting their fear aside and heading back to school this morning. welcome back to "early start," i'm zoraida sambolin. i will have much more live from newtown, coming up. >> i'm john berman here in new york. it's 31 minutes after the hour right now. we do have big news coming out of washington on the fiscal cliff negotiation. it's about time, with just 14 days to go now, we learned overnight that president obama gave serious ground in his latest proposal to house speaker john boehner. tax rates would rise on incomes

over $400,000. previously the president wanted higher taxes on house holes starting at $250,000. the president is also offering new spending cuts worth around $200 billion. the speaker has given some ground himself going from a no new taxes position to proposing tax hikes on those making $1 million. today the house speaker meets with some republican house members to update them on the negotiations. this could be a prickly meeting. dan lothian is in washington. it does look like there's some movement. >> reporter: it does. even house republican aides are saying this is positive movement, but they still take issue with the president's math. nonetheless, what we have seen here is a big breakthrough because the president over the campaign trail years when the president was out there pushing this middle class tax cut to voters, the president was insistent that he did not want taxes to go up on those making

up to 250,000 but those above that, taxes should go up on them, the bush era tax cuts should expire for them. now the president raising that ceiling to $400,000. so that is a dramatic development. you know, for the most part, much of the negotiations have taken place behind the scenes. and in fact we often don't find out that the two leaders have spoken either by phone or face to face until after those meetings have taken place. and that was the case yesterday. certainly we did not find out that the president was meeting with speaker boehner until about 20 minutes or so before that meeting was over. they met for 45 minutes at the white house. that was the third time that they had met face to face over the last eight days. and so, again, it does show that they are making some big movements, some big concessions here. it will be interest to see if it tens over the next few hours.

>> interesting that we're seeing so many of the numbers from these discussions. the president offering the tax rate hike at $400,000, speaker boehner at $1 million right now. how much hope is there that they'll reach some kind of deal before january 1st? >> that's right. you know, the interesting thing is as these numbers have gone up, you see speaker boehner talking about raising, as you pointed out, the taxes on those million dollar threshold, the president 400,000. that angers the left of the president's party and for speaker boehner, it angers the right in his party. and so those issues still have to be resolved but i think there's optimism as speaker boehner will go back and talk to his folks, president obama will continue to prod those in his party. both sides realize it's urgent that there have to be some concessions in order to get this deal done by the end of the year. when you see such big movement like you've seen over the last couple of days, there's more optimism this will get done in time. >> that is true. they both did come off their

initial bargaining positions by a lot. >> that's right. >> dan lothian, thanks very much this morning. >> okay. zoraida is in newtown. we go back to connecticut. >> as newtown prepares to bury another 6-year-old child today, there are key developments to report in the national gun control debate. here's the very latest for you. four days after the sandy hook elementary school massacre, president obama is taking action. "the washington post" reports that he has ordered his cabinet to put together proposals that include reinstating a ban on assault rifles. vice president biden has been asked to lead the charge on that effort. dick's sporting goods announcing it has removed all guns from its store closest to newtown. and also suspending sales of all modern sporting rifles. this is happening chainwide. out of respect for the victims of the school shooting. and 3450e7b while, grief counselors and police willing on hand this morning when all kids all over newtown head back to class for first time since friday. the sandy hook elementary school

will remain closed. i want to tell you about jessica rekos. she will be laid to rest today. this little 6-year-old girl adored horses, couldn't wait until her 10th birthday to get one. that's what her family promised her. i want to share more about her, because just a spectacular little girl. her family says she was the ceo of the family. she was the first one to plan everything incredibly organized. she was a ball of fire. she ruled the roost. you know, this little girl loved to write. she left notes all over the house. her mom says that she found a journal and it was exactly what she needed, because it said i love you so much momma, love jessica. you know, she said they're still finding notes all over the house that this little girl left behind and that it's helped them with the healing process. they are committed to keep this little girl's memory alive. meanwhile, people in newtown are coming together, pressing on as

they continue to grieve. the former chairwoman of newtown's board of education telling our wolf blitzer that she feels hollow. >> it's been horrific. from the moment we all heard the news, it was devastating to know that someone had come into the school with a gun. that alone was horrible enough, because it's a place of peace and joy. but now as we go forward and we've learned the names and now we're going through the gruelling process of the funerals, it's very, very, very hard. everyone uses the word hollow. that's where we're at right now. >> and this morning, it is a big step in the recovery process for newtown students and, of course, for their families. they are all headed back to school this morning. sandra endois following the return to the classroom. i would imagine this will be a difficult time for the parents as well as the kids. >> reporter: absolutely, zoraida. certainly some anxiety this morning as students start returning back to school but this is a first step towards

normalcy in the wake of this tragedy. roughly 5,400 newtown district students will be able to return to class today. there will be a two-hour delay. this applies to all students except for sandy hook elementary students. classes there are still suspended. we know that there will be a two-hour delay ws also grief counselors and police will be present at newtown schools today and throughout the week. interesting to note, principals have asked parents to talk to their children about the incident before they head back into the classrooms. that's because they can't control what other students may be saying inside school and they don't want them to learn about what happened from other students. and in an uncontrolled environment. and, of course, zoraida, teachers will be addressing what happened in an age-appropriate manner. >> all right, sandra endo live for us.

thank you very much. we send it back to john berman. he's in new york. >> thanks, zoraida. new this morning, dick's sporting goods taking action in the wake of massacre in newtown. the company release this statement, they say out of respect for the victims and their families, we've removed all guns in our store nearest to newtown and suspended the sale of modern sporting rifles in all of our stores chainwide. more fallout, a company called cerberus capital mgt the announcing its selling its fnt stake in freedom group which arequired bushmaster, the company that manufactured the ar-15 model used in friday's school shooting. it didn't take long for president obama to take action. "the washington post" reporting he's directed members of his cabinet to put together a list of proposals that includes reinstating a ban on assault rifles. this effort is being led by vice president joe biden. and the white house appears to have some momentum here. two influential democratic senators with "a" ratings with the nra, mark warner of virginia and joe manchin of west virginia

are sounding pretty ready to reconsider their positions. >> who would have ever thought in america or anywhere in the world that children would be slaughtered? you know, it's changed me. i don't know of anybody that goes hunting with an assault rifle. i don't know people that need 10, 20, 30-round clips. >> i believe every american has second amendment rights and that the ability to hunt is part of our culture. i had an nra rating of an "a." but you know, enough is enough. >> again, these are two pro-gun democrats. big movement from them on this issue. more and more americans seem to be getting on board with the idea of tighter gun control laws in this country. a new cbs news poll shows 57% now believe we need stricter gun laws. that's an increase of 18% since april. one guy, though, who doesn't seem to agree, texas governor rick perry, he is sticking to his guns so to speak.

at a state tea party forum last night, perry took issue with calls for stricter gun control laws following the newtown, connecticut massacre. >> in the state of texas with our concealed handgun license, if you go through the process and you have been duly backgrounded and trained and you are a concealed handgun license carrying individual, you should be able to carry your handgun anywhere in this state. >> perry says we need to make schools safer. if that means arming teachers and administrators, he says he's fine with that. lawmakers need to address mental health issues as well. gamerfitnation.com is calling for a show of support for the families in the newtown massacre. it's asking all gamers to join in what it calls a day of

cease-fire on friday, december 21st. governor nikki haley says she chose scott, he's on the right of your screen, because of his background in business along with his commitment to what she calls conservative principles. scott will be only african-american in the senate when he's sworn in. senator jim demint is leading to head up the heritage foundation, a conservative think tank. the oscar-winning director scorsese to direct bill clinton documentary. that should be interesting to say the least. coming up, a one-man tribute to the victims of the newtown, connecticut massacre on football's primetime stage. sneezing, eve , aches, fevers. and i relieve nasal congestion. overachiever.

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it is 45 minutes past the hour. let's get you up to date with this morning's top stories. for the first time since friday, children in newtown, connecticut will be heading back to school today. there will be counselors on hand as well as increased police patrols. sandy hook elementary, however, remains closed. and we have new information this morning about the newtown shooter ab adam lanza. the bureau of alcohol, tobacco and firearms confirms that he did visit a gun range with his mother as recently as six months ago. and a technology adviser from newtown high school says they were being very careful with lanza because if he hurt himself or cut himself, that he could not feel the pain. meantime, police in fairfield, california arresting a man for allegedly threaten to duplicate the newtown shooting. he's accused of posting comments online indicating that he supported the actions of the connecticut school shooter and thought of possibly committing

similar acts. there's a picture of him. police say they seized several items in a search of his home. and the titans star running back chris johnson paying tribute to all 26 victims of the newtown tragedy. on his cleats during "monday night football," take a look at that there, he broke off a 94-yard touchdown run in those cleats in the 14-10 win over the jets. and folks to find out how you can help those affected by this tragedy as i know many of you want to do, go to cnn.com/impact. there are a lot of options for you there on how to help. we are seeing worldwide support, john. everybody wants to see what they can do. that's a good option for folks. >> absolutely. you see chris johnson with that on his cleats. everywhere you go, everyone you talk to is feeling this tragedy in one way or another. i have never seen anything where so many people want to help. they want to the do whatever

they can. thanks, zoraida. stormy weather in the west and midwest could affect your travel plans today. it was ugly here in the east, too. let's get to karen mcagain nis in for rob marciano today. >> john, yes, it does look like a very unsettled weather pattern, not just across the west coast and the east but midwest, just in time for christmas. it looks like if you are traveling towards the midwest, serious snow expected there in the next several days. look at the west coast and seattle, the snow levels have been down as low as 200 feet. they will go up to 400 feet for the afternoon. some of these snowfall totals, very substantial going into the next several days. could see 10 or 20 inches of snowfall. but in the midwest, this is what we'll focus on. we haven't seen a significant snow event like this. this one occurs as we go into wednesday and then for thursday, so you're traveling into chicago or des moines or topeka, wichita

and even into denver. you could expect perhaps some delays later on in the workweek. how about 48-hour snowfall totals? spokane just under 5 inches being reported there. in libby, montana, two-day snow totals just about 2 feet. and newtown, connecticut, right now overcast with rain. the temperature a cold rain. 41 degrees. the winds are out of the east and northeast but as we go into the next five days, we'll look at a little bit of a break weatherwise. those temperatures will remain in the 40s but then as we go into friday, the rain is going to return and a 20% chance of some showers coming up for saturday and temperatures turning much cooler. john? >> all right. karen mcginnis in atlanta. thanks very much. coming up we'll address one of the most difficult, troubling questions after the newtown massacre. why? dr. gupta, sanjay gupta goes inside the violent mind for answers. does the brain contain clues about why killers snap? challeg environment.

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welcome back, everyone, to this special edition of "early start." as people in newtown and around the world try to make sense of the tragedy there, the biggest question, of course, is why? why did the shooter target an elementary school? why did he gun down 20 6 and 7-year-old kids?

chief medical correspondent dr. sanjay gupta has been following this. >> reporter: first thing you notice around newtown, everyone has that questioning look, why, what did we miss, if anything? no answers yet, just hindsight. to try and make some sense of the tragedy here in newtown, connecticut, medical investigators will often look for evidences of patterns, not talking about clothing exiles or musical preferences or even lifestyle but rather looking for evidence of specific plans, could give some clues as to what was happening in a person's mind and in their brain. it's hard to know because thankfully, there are relatively few tragedies like this one. a close look at ten of the most analyzed mass murder cases in history provide remarkable insight. according to this research published in the journal "aggression and violent behavior," typicals start by placing these killers into three

categories, traumatized, psychotic, psychopathic. in 2005, i 16-year-old killed nine people at a school in minnesota. a look in his past revealed an abused boy with an awful family history. the shooter had been previously traumatized. the virginia tech shooter killed 32 people. 6 were murdered in arizona and 12 lives were taken in an aurora, colorado movie theater. in each case, the killers showed signs of psychotic behavior, severe delusions and paranoia. 13 people were shot and killed in columbine, colorado. one of the murders was later discovered to a textbook psyc psychopa psychopath. looking back none of them had snapped. they all left clues, pieced together after it was too late. hindsight. >> we still don't know much about the shooter who lived in this home but there is something else to consider. what medications, if any, he was on.

i'm specifically talking about antidepressants. if you look at the studies on other shootings like this that have happened, mcs like this were a common factor. now, i want to be clear, not saying that antidepressants can't be effective but people seem to agree there is a vulnerable time when someone starts these medications and when someone stops could lead to increased impulsivity, decreased judgment and making someone out of touch. none of this is an excuse and it's never just one thing. none of these behaviors will fully predict or explain why. but soon again, there will be hindsight that might just help prevent another tragedy. dr. sanjay gupta, cnn, newtown, connecticut. >> and we will have much more from newtown next hour. another very, very hard day ahead. we're also watching some major developments in the fiscal cliff negotiations out of washington. the president seems to budge on a key number and we could be moving closer to a deal.

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good morning. welcome, everybody. could it be a tipping pointor gun control? i'm soledad o'brien. the white house major retailer, national polls, even some pro gun republicans are now shifting in the wake of this massacre in newtown. first, very cautious step here in newtown. i'm zoraida sambolin. most school-aged children are heading back to school just hours from now. we're following those developments. is it a breakthrough for fiscal cliff talks? i'm john berman. the two sides are closer than ever before with just two weeks

left to go. good morning, everyone. we'll go live to washington in just a moment for more on the fiscal cliff, coming up. but in the meantime, welcome to a special edition of "early start." we're also live here in live in connecticut. >> 6:00 in the morning in the east coast. >> and another beautiful young child will be buried today. four days after a school massacre, that has numbed the entire nation. sheer the la here is the latest. this is reigniting the gun control debate. the president taking steps to ban assault rifles with his vice president leading the charge. >> plus, this happened overnight. dick's sporting goods, banning the sale of ar-15 rifles and other guns similar to it. the modern sporting rifle section of its website, totally blank this morning. the company releasing a statement that says this. out of respect for the victims and their families, we have removed all guns in our store

nearest to newtown and suspended the sale of modern sporting rifles in all of our stores chain wide. >> grief counselors will be on hand when all of the children in newtown head back to class the first time since friday. sandy hook elementary school will be remain closed. jessica rekos will be laid to rest today. take a look although her big, beautiful eyes. 6-year-old girl adored horses and couldn't wait until her 10th birthday to get one. her family called her the ceo of the family. in charge of making all of the plans. she also leaves behind two younger brothers. john. >> we'll go back to newtown in a moment to sflor aida and soledad. first, a developing story in washington. significant movement in the fiscal cliff negotiations with 14 days to go until huge across the board tax hikes kick in and spending cuts. this has not received a great deal of attention in recent

days, understandably so. overnight, we learned president obama made an eye opening new offer in talks with house speaker john boehner. under the new proposal, tack rates go up only on incomes above 400,000. for years, you will remember the president campaigned on that number starting at 250,000. he is also part of this deal offer spending cuts worth about $200 billion. now, house speaker boehner has refused to consider raising tax rates, he has now pro possessed raising taxes on households making $1 million. clearly both sides are budging from their initial positions. dan lothian in washington with the latest. good morning, dan. >> it was speaker boehner who first opened the door to tax increases of those upper income americans, those over $1 million so once he made that movement, we saw this dramatic development overnight from president obama, who as you pointed out on the campaign trail and in recent

days, had said that it was a nonstarter. taxes had to go up on those over $250,000. those households making more than $250,000. hes has raised that to $450,000. many are encouraged by the movement. in addition to that, the preside president proposing 1.2 trillion in revenue, down from 1.4 trillion and 1.2 trillion in spending cuts. house republicans say this is a step in the right direction, but they don't think the president's math adds up and leans too heavily toward tax increases. we expect pushback from seniors and others who depend on essential security. as part of the president's plan, he's also proposing to lower the cost of living increases for social security beneficiaries. certainly there, will be some resistance to this. a big development happening on this front. >> dan lothian in washington,

thank you very much. let's go back to soledad and zoraida in newtown. >> thanks, john. the gun control debate in this country has been reignited by the massacre in this country at sandy hook elementary. more americans are supporting the idea of tighter gun laws in the aftermath of the tragedy. let's get to emily schmidt, live from washington, d.c. let's start with the polls, emily? what do they show us? >> we take a look at three new polls out. they show there has been a significant, maybe temporary, we don't know, reaction to what people think about gun control after the newtown shootings. i want to show you first of all, a cbs news poll, saying should there be more strict gun control laws? up 18% last weekend over when the question was asked in april. do you support or control stricter gun control laws? last poll taken in august, showed the number going up 5%.

pew research did a survey, do you think the shootings reflect a broader societal issue? when that question was asked after the aurora, colorado, shootings, 24% said yes. after the newtown shootings, 47% say that is the case. that is why we are hearing this broader conversation now. >> dan malloy. >> in the next half hour, we'll be joined by congresswoman sheila jackson lee, a texas democrat calling for an immediate ban on all assault weapons. thank you for the update. we appreciate that. zoraida. >> newtown schools will reopen today. two hours later than usual. sandy hook elementary remains an active crime scene and is the only school that will remain closed in the area. back to a productive routine. mental health experts say that it's a good idea.

the pain is still going to linger. sandra endolive in the center of newtown. >> zoraida, students, parents, teachers, may feel a bit anxious, but it could be the first step toward healing. in the wake of tragedy, a step toward normalcy, for newtown kids, that means going back to school. >> we also are going to be a little bit worried because we know what we thought was a secure school had this happen to them. >> but facing fear may be the first step to overcome this tragedy. >> children have to get back to school. if we let this sort of terror in our lives anywhere in this country win, we've lost. we have to get our kids back to school again. >> classes resuming for 5,400 students in the district, except for those at sandy hook elementary. monday, all schools closed as teachers and administrators

train with experts on how to handle the aftermath. many parents we spoke with, agree kids belong back in school. >> i think that one of the big things we have to do is have some sort of normalcy, and school is part of that. >> unfortunately, you know, we're living in this world where sometimes evil prevails sometimes, but we're just believing that good will overcome this. >> reporter: sandy hook elementary remains a crime scene. furniture and supplies moved to chalk hill middle school in neighboring monroe, where sandy hook students will eventually resume classes. >> when the children come in, whenever the school is started, they walk into a classroom, it will look as close as possible to their classroom that they left. >> reporter: grief counselors and police will be present at newtown schools today and through the weekend. principals have asked parents to make sure they talk to kids about the tragedy before they

head back into the classrooms, because you never know what fellow students may say, and, of course, teachers will also talk about what happened in an age-appropriate manner. zoraida, soledad. >> all right, sandra endo, reporting live. thank you very much. connecticut governor dan malloy is calling for a nationwide moment of silence friday morning, exactly one week after the shooting at the sandy hook elementary school and calling on churches to ring bells 26 times, once for each of the victims killed in friday's school massacre. the governor choking up when explaining why he took it upon himself friday morning to tell waiting families that their lued ones were not coming out. >> it was evident to me that there was a reluctance to tell parents and loved ones that the

person they were waiting for was not going to return. i made the decision that to have that go on any long er was wron. >> malloy also says he supports action at the federal level to tighten the nation's gun control laws. you know, the little girl, jessica rekos who died, they were at the firehouse with the governor. they were waiting and waiting, and they got into their little girl's bed and waited until police came to the home. >> at 1:00 in the morning. >> 1:00 in the morning. terrible. in the next half hour on "early start," david owens will join us with the latest on the police investigation of the 20-year-old shooter who shattered so many lives in newtown. that's ahead. coming up in the 7:00 hour,

we'll speak with senator joe manchin. a weigh democrat. nra member, but says now is the time to act to tighten up the gun laws. and the tide could be turning on gun control in this country. and a wall street firm taking a stand. what they are doing, straight ahead. [ tissue box ] he said nasal congestion. yeah...i heard him. [ female announcer ] tylenol® cold multi-symptom nighttime relieves nasal congestion. nyquil® cold and flu doesn't. plays a key role throughout our lives. one a day men's 50+ is a complete multivitamin designed for men's health concerns as we age. it has 7 antioxidants to support cell health. one a day men's 50+.

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all right. welcome back to "early start." i'm john berman. christine romans, mindsing your business. some interesting business news. >> the company that makes the military style rifle is a company called freedom group and basically owned by a bunch of investors, cerberus private equity group, and teacher's pension fund money that invests in cerberus, you see a california teachers pension fund giving money to cerberus, creating freedom group, which owns bushmaster, the company that makes the military style rifle used in the killings. today, we're hearing from

cerberus, they are going to sell freedom group, which owns bushmaster, cerberus is going to sell it. this is what they say. they say in the statement, it is apparent the sandy hook tragedy is a watershed event that has raised the national debate on gun control to an unprecedented level it is not our role to take positions to attempt to shape or influence the gun control policy debate, however, there are actions that we as a firm can take. the california teachers pension fund are investors in cerberus and that optic, that chain from teachers here to a product here that is used to kill teachers is a difficult optic to settle. according to friends at "fortune." there are a lot of products that can be used responsibly or irresponsibly. and in this case it was used irresponsibly. no that a tragic event like this occurred, i'm sure it is something we will be discussing going forward, whether

california teachers pensions fund should be used to fund gun manufacturers. this is a private company -- the bushmaster company is a private company. but there are some public companies. the two big public companies down either 3% on the stock exchange or 5% on the stock exchange. a company called olin, makes ammuniti ammunition, up just a little bit. gun shops are seeing a spike in interest in buying weapons, because gun owners are concerned about the gun control debate right now, big, big retailers where you can buy soccer gear for your kids and buy military style assault rifle. dick's will stop selling some semiautomatic weapons and stopping all gun sales in the store closest to newtown. i have a call into friday. on friday early afternoon, i googled bushmaster 223.

first thing that came up was a sponsored link to walmart. saying i couldn't get it online but go to carney, new jersey. says it aims straight and true, a military style rifle. you don't see that on the walmart website. not clear if they are no longer advertising the gun or no longer will sell it. >> i'm fascinating about what cerberus has done. they are in business to make money and clearly made a tension that owning this company that made the bushmaster is bad business. >> people who follow private equity this morning saying, wow, this is a big move. the company saying in a press release, not taking a stand. people who cover private equity say it's rare. usually companies can weather any kind of political fallout. but freedom group, which cerberus created, owns not just bushmaster, but a suite of ten different companies involved in firearms and ammunition industry. the whole group up for sale. >> what is the one thing we need to know about money?

>> stock futures are up. and we're seeing incremental evidence that the fiscal cliff could resolve. that would bode well for markets. stock futures. >> you get the sense that the market would love it, if and when they reach a deal. >> they have to decide who washington decided is rich. is it $200 grand, $400 grand, $1 million? once they come up with that, they can decide on budget cuts. tributes pouring in for a giant of the u.s. senate. daniel inouye, served hawaii since the day it became a state in 1959. now died at the age of 88 from respiratory problems, inouye the second longest serving member ever, right after robert byrd. he lost an arm, charging machine gun lest nests italy and earned the medal of honor. he witnessed the bombing of

pearl harbor as a high school student. a towering figure, now gone. today, congress may receive a report by an independent panel that examined the deadly attack on u.s. consulate in benghazi. the report was ordered by secretary of state hillary clinton. she will not testify due to illness. the stomach bug, fell over, got a concussion. the attack killed four americans, including chris stevens, u.s. ambassador to libya. james clapper staying on. he agreed to remain for the foreseeable future. clapper taken a lot of heat for the response to the september 11th attacks on that u.s. mission in benghazi. fedex, grounded. hundreds of packages never made it to their nebraska destinations. postal inspectors say a delivery driver working as a private contractor for fedex was spotted dumping the packages from his truck onto the street lost last month. only 30 of more than 400

packages were found intact and finally delivered. the driver, as you can imagine, he was fired. the new york mets, exporting cy young award winner, r.a. dickey. a 38-year-old knuckle baller. such a great story. went from the scrap heap to the king of the hill last year, winning the cy young. 20-6 for the mets. one of the true good guys in baseball. a mother and blogger putting the issue of mental illness front and center, declaring i adam am lanza's mother. we'll hear from her. it is controversial. coming up. people have doubts about taking aspirin for pain.

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welcome back, everybody. you're watching "early start," live from newtown, connecticut. it is an emotional and difficult day here. as some children heading back to school. >> the mother of noah pozner, a 6-year-old boy killed in the mass shooting, released the eulogy she gave yesterday before she buried her son, called her little man. some was published in "the new york times." it begins like this. "the sky is crying and the flags are at half mast. it is a sad, sad day. but it is also your day, noah. my little man. i will miss your forceful and purposeful little steps stomping through our house, i will miss your perpetual smile, the twinkle in your dark blue eyes, framed by eyelashes that would be the en of any lady in this room.

she ends heulogy by saying this. i will join you some day, but not today. mama loves you little man is how she ends it. the whole thing is reprinted in "the new york times." >> we were talking about the courage it takes to give the eulogy for your own child. >> i don't know how you can do that. >> there he is. beautiful smile on his face. the way she would want him remembered. the mother of a mentally ill child, under fire for the blog posting with the title "i adam am lanza's mother." the blog post was a cry for help. she writes about the difficulties of parenting a teenage son who she describes as seriously disturbed. long spoke to erin burnett last

night. >> sometimes for no apparent reason, he will just turn into this absolute raging -- i don't know how to describe it. would you have to see it to believe it. i stopped and said to myself. this isn't normal. i have to face up to the fact that i have a sick son, and we need help. >> liza telling cnn that she loves her son, but he "terrifies me." >> i have talked to many parents of mentally ill children and adults that say the same thing. they are completely at a loss. the only thing sometimes that can be done is bring criminal charges to get them committed, get them criminally incarcerated. her son is 13 years old. >> and the older they get, they become stronger, so the fear absolutely makes sense. >> the postal service is

establishing a post office box for anyone who would like to reach out to the people in newtown, connecticut. the address is messages of condolence, p.o. box 3700, newtown, connecticut. and the zip code, 06470. >> to find out how you can help those affected by this tragedy, go to cnn.com/impact. i went to the site here, not only can you get information on how you can help those affected, but if you need some help also, perhaps on how to tell your child about this tragedy, how to explain it. there are liks here and links to the facebook pages set up for these children as well. a lot of information for you if you would like. meantime, president obama, his point man, as he gets ready to put gun control on the agenda, more on that, coming up. list of almost two thousand corporate partners - companies like microsoft, american red cross and adobe - to create options for you.

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the tide could be turning on the gun control debate.

a major corporation and even some republicans showing signs of change. an anxious morning in newtown, connecticut. many students and parents here, kind of put their fear aside as they head back to school. >> two-week warning until the fiscal cliff. one-on-one meeting at the white house results in major movement toward a deal. welcome back to "early start." glad you are with us. i'm zoraida sambolin. >> and i'm soledad o'brien. we begin taking a look at the latest in newtown, connecticut. developments really in the nation's gun control debate first and foremost. four days after the sandy hook elementary school massacre, president obama is taking action. the "washington post" ordered his cabinet put together proposals, that could include reinstating a ban on assault rifles. vice president joe biden, asked to lead the charge on this. also, dick's sporting goods has removed all guns from its store close toast newtown and

suspending sales of modern sporting rifles chain wide. and grief counselors will be on hand as children head back to school. the sandy hook elementary school remains closed. jessica rekos will be laid to rest today. she adored horses and couldn't wait until her 10th birthday when her parents promised to buy her a horse. she is the oldest child in her family. she leaves behind two younger brothers, and, of course, her mom and dad. and i have to tell you, they called her the ceo of the family, because she was in charge of everything. the one always making plans. >> ran the whole thing. >> and she always left little notes around the house and her mother actually discovered one once she had been killed and she said it brought her comfort. it said i love you, mommy. remember, jessica rekos this morning. just 6 years old. gamerfitnation.com is

calling for a show of support for the victims of the newtown, connecticut, massacre. it's asking for gamers to join in a day of cease-fire, friday, december 21st. titans star running back chris johnson, paying tribute to all 26 victims on his cleats during monday night football. broke off a 94-yard touchdown run in those cleats. 14-10 win over the jets. >> propelled by those names. another big story today. new developments in the fiscal cliff. back to john berman in new york. good morning, john. >> that's right. there may be a ray of hope in the fiscal cliff discussions. overnight, we learned president obama gave some pretty serious ground in his proposal to john boehner. in his revised pitch, the president suggesting that tax rates would rise on incomes over $400,000. previously, he wanted higher taxes on households starting at $250,000 and offering new

subpoenai i spending cuts. the president is now pand speak boehner, will meet with colleagues to update them on negotiations. it could be a difficult meeting. dan lathi ilothian in washingto appears within the last 24 hours, some real, concrete movement. >> that's right. the big question, can speaker boehner sell this proposal to house republicans? it was a big break through yesterday when speaker boehner met with president obama at the white house for 45 minutes and this is dramatic, because the president had held now for so long that taxes had to go up on households making more than 250,000 and now the president raising that ceiling to 400,000. in addition, the president looking for 1$1.2 trillion in nw

revenue. down from 1.4 trillion and 1.2 trillion in spending cuts. this meets the demand that speaker boehner had for equal spending cuts to new revenue. house aides say the math doesn't add up. they see this as a move in the right direction, they say it's not balanced. speaker boehner, spokesman brendan buck saying a proposal that includes 1.3 trillion in revenue for $930 billion in spending cuts cannot be considered balanced. still some differences remain. but many view this as a step in the right direction, john. >> what you are seeing is republican criticism to the president's proposal. he will take heat from the left here on what he's willing to compromise on. he has given ground on a key indexing, a measurement of insplags. tanto mount to cutting growth in the entitlements. >> that's right. and you can expect a very strong

pushback from those in his party, union members as well. also when you look at what the president is proposing for social security, where he is talking about lowering the cost of -- lowering the cost of living increases for social security beneficiaries, this is something that no doubt a senior advocates will push back on. we do see quite a bit of progress happened here over the last few hours, there is still a little bit more work to do before an agreement can be reached. >> a big meeting between speaker boehner and house republicans, 10:00 a.m., could be hugely interesting. dan lothian, thank you very much. hundreds of holiday gifts might not get there on time. coming up, wait until you hear about what one delivery driver did with a whole lot of packages. this holiday, share everything.

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way too fast. >> and as we just mentioned, the president has asked voice president biden to take the lead in examining the country's gun laws, outspoken gun control advocate, new york city mayor mike bloomberg had this to say yesterday. >> gun violence is a national

epidemic, and a national tragedy. that demands more than words. we are the only industrialized country that has this problem. in the whole world, the only one. and that's why we need immediate national action from the president and from congress. it should be at the top of their agenda. >> our next guest says she's taking immediate action, congresswoman sheila jackson lee, a democrat from the state of texas, currently working on a new bill that she says could prevent more horrific mass murders. nice to have you with us, congresswoman. appreciate your time. the president as i mentioned when we started this segment, has asked the vice president to sort of lead what his cabinet will be coming up with, some ideas, and hopefully good proposals on how to end the violence. you said there should be an immediate ban on all assault weapons.

give me -- what would be covered under what you have in mind? >> well, first of all, let me, again, offer my deepest sympathy to the families of those beautiful children and the families of those wonderful teachers. soledad, the whole nation mourns and this is a significant moment in history. bar none, that surpasses any of the horrific tragedies we face, and the call is to action. i hope to collaborate with members of congress, certainly senator feinstein, very thoughtful in legislation with an assault weapons ban and there should be a national discussion that talks about a number of other items as well. closing the gun show loophole is really closing the general loophole. 60% of america's guns are bought without a background check, and there are instances where we

might have protected innocent victims if we would have known what the condition of the purchaser was. we need in national dialog. i'm delighted that the president has tasked vice president biden with the effort. certainly he is one who can bring members of congress from both sides of the aisle, but more importantly, both houses together. we have to stop the divide between you want to take my guns, or you're in an urban area and i'm in a rural area, i'm familiar with guns, we've grown up with guns. this is a national dialog, not about the second amendment, we respect the second amendment. it's in the bill of rights, but it's a dialog about saving lives and that's what this gun regulation legislation would be, not gun control. >> let's run through some of the other things that you are calling for in what you are proposing, in addition to closing the gun show loophole, are you calling for a more structured mental health system for families that would allow

them to get immediate assistance in regard to mental health issues, looking at primary and second schools where they may need to have reinforced bullet proof winds and reinforced secure entrances, expanding late laws holding adults responsible for securing their weapons. you have proposed the gun safety act every year for the past ten years. what do you think there will be a groundswell of support for what you are proposing now that goes far -- much farther than the proposal you've had every year for ten years? >> you know, i think that the common sense discussion and need to act in a common sense manner has now risen to the highest level of the consciousness of americans. and for those of us who had a passion to protect our children, but to protect others, now see a way forward, if we just looked

at the numbers and saw the percentages of incidences of homicide and suicide, they are higher where guns are available. we have all heard the story of the chinese individual who stabbed 22 children. but they all lived. we wish that hadn't happened. i truly believe if adults are responsible about securing their guns, about putting a safety -- having safety locks, protecting our children, we would be better off. i also believe very, very, very sincerely that if we allow people to be unstigmatized, if you will, with respect to mental health issues in their family, they would more eagerly or aggressively seek help as i believe this perpetrator needed. he needed additional help, and he certainly didn't need to be tragically around guns. and also i know that our schools in america are aging. i understand that. but if those who are in leadership roles would look at

reinforced glass and secure entry ways, those are possibilities in a very difficult world and very difficult climate. parents are looking for answers, and we must commit to them when their children leave their precious homes that they can go to a place of safety and security. i think we can look way common-sense approach, and what i've offered is a common-sense approach. i look forward to working with senator feinstein and my other colleagues in moving forward and i think we've raised america's conscience on how precious these lives are. >> congresswoman, thank you very much for your time. we appreciate it. >> thank you for having me. >> right back to john berman. john is in new york. >> thank you so much, soledad. south carolina congresswoman tim scott will replace retired senator jim demint. she chose scott for his

background and vision in business and his commitment to conservative principles. scott will be the only african-american in the senate. jim demint is leading to head up a conservative thinktank. >> hundreds of packages, absolutely, positively, didn't make it to their holiday destination. why? a driver decided to dump more than 400 delivery items onto a street in nebraska. only about 30 survived intact and were finally delivered. the incident occurred last month, and, yes, the driver has been fired. traveling at a speed of almost 4,000 miles per hour. two nasa probes have crashed into the moon. the good news, this was planned and done on purpose at the end of their mission. nasa has named the spot where the two probes crashed in honor of the late astronaut sally ride, the first woman in space, and member of the grail mission team that first put the probes in space.

newtown's parents get ready to send most of their kids back to school, detectives are focusing on what they found in the shooter's home. live back to newtown, coming up. have a good night. here you go. you, too. i'm going to dream about that steak. i'm going to dream about that tiramisu. what a night, huh? but, um, can the test drive be over now? head back to the dealership? [ male announcer ] it's practically yours. but we still need your signature. volkswagen sign then drive is back. and it's never been easier to get a passat. that's the power of german engineering. get $0 down, $0 due at signing, $0 deposit, and $0 first month's payment on any new volkswagen. visit vwdealer.com today. anyone have occasional constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloating? yeah. one phillips' colon health probiotic cap each day

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welcome back. you're watching "early start." we're live in newtown, connecticut, this morning. people are coming together, pressing on as they grieve the loss of the victims at the sandy hook elementary school. the former chairwoman of newtown's board of education, describing how she feels just hollow with wolf blitzer. >> oh, it's been horrific, from the moment we all heard the news, it was devastating to know that someone had come into the school with a gun. that alone was horrible enough, because it's a place of peace and joy, but now as we go forward and we've learned the names and going through the grueling process of the funerals, it's very, very, very hard. everyone uses the word hollow, that's where we're at right now. >> this morning, a big step in the recovery process for newtown families and their students. going back to school. what can you tell us

logistically about how it's supposed to go today, sandra? >> reporter: roughly 5,400 newtown students will return to school today, soledad. there will be a two-hour delay, and students, parents, teachers, may be anxious returning back to school. but clearly a lot of experts and officials say this is the first step toward normalcy, part of the healing process. as you mentioned, sandy hook elementary students will still remain out of school right now. they are trying to find more accommodations. for the 5,400 students, there will be grief counselors and police back at school when classes resume, as well as teachers discussing what happened in an age-appropriate manner. principals have asked parents to talk to their kids before they return to school about the incident. you never know what other students may say about the massacre and what may happen in terms of the classroom setting.

but clearly they are ready to take on a lot of questions that students may have and a lot of feelings, the emotion, the pain that this community is feeling. soledad. >> sandra endo, thank you, sandra. zoraida. this morning, the investigation ongoing as to what could have caused the tragedy at sandy hook elementary to occur. authorities are digging deeper into the gun and computer usage of the gunman. the gunman in the newtown, connecticut, shooting, killed himself before anyone could get the reasons that compelled him to kill more than 2 dozen people. david owens, a crime reporter for "the hartford courant" for the past 24 years. he is joining us now. thank you, we appreciate it. we know they seized a smashed computer, hard drive smashed. "the new york times" reports they got nothing from it, but the state police say they are

happy with the progress they are making. where do you think they stand? >> the state police have been gathering all kinds of information and evidence from the home, from the school. they don't comment directly on what they seize. but lieutenant vance at the state police said they have obtained helpful evidence, important evidence, that they believe will help lead them to an answer as to why this happened. >> now, they are suggesting it will be a while before we hear anything concrete. do you have any idea of how long before perhaps we'll have some answers here? >> i think it could be months. certainly weeks. we had an awful shooting several years ago here in connecticut and that investigation took a year. the state police are not in a rush to get this done. they will take as long as it takes. >> you know this community well. have you been covering stories here for 18 years. what are your impressions of how this affected the immediate

area? >> everywhere in connecticut, i have gone, in the past few days, everyone is impacted by this. everyone talking about it. people are just horribly broken up, not to the degree that the families of the victims and the people close to those people in newtown are, but the whole state is mourning. and the more i talked to people about it, the more i find that people are linked somehow to this tragedy. they have a friend, a coworker. when people return to work monday, they learned that in many instances that friends had suffered a loss in this tragedy. >> and, david, tell us your personal story about what happened when you were going out to cover this story. what did another reporter ask you to do? >> one of my colleagues, bill lukehart, i have worked with him at the "hartford courant" for

years, and we were in newtown friday morning and we met by the firehouse at the foot of the school. and he told me his stepdaughter was substituting at sandy hook elementary and he wrote her name down, lauren rousseau on a piece of paper from a notebook and handed it to me, and asked me to be on the lookout for her and of course, we found out later that she was one of the teachers who died. >> did you have to tell him that? >> no. the editors in hartford had begun to have an idea that there was a problem. bill learned quickly too, because the state police had begun assigning troopers to the families of the victims to help them begin to have a liaison with state authorities and bill headed home to be with his family. >> wow. david, i know this is personal for enthusiasm is your family as well.

we appreciate your time, reporting for "the hartford courant." thank you. back to john berman in new york. new york mets exporting cy young award winner r.a. dickey. dickey traded to the toronto blue jays in a seven-player deal and sending one of baseball's top catching procks back to new york. dickey, a great story, went from baseball's scrap heap to the king of the hill last year, winning the cy young, going 20-6 for the new york mets. how about this as the subject of martin scorsese's next film. bill clinton. he will direct a documentary on clinton for hbo clinton is said to be cooperating fully with the scorsese project. stormy weather in the west and midwest could affect travel plans today. want to get to ckaren mcginnis. nasty weather up here too. >> yeah, both east and west, we

have some storm systems that will make difficult travel as we go toward the big travel weekend. take a look at video out of des moines, washington this is just south of seattle. they saw crashing waves, high winds, the storm system is aimed at the west coast. we'll see snow levels in seattle down to around 400 feet. traveling to the midwest, look out. are you expecting 3 to 6 inches of snowfall in the next several days, john. >> thank you, karen magnificec . while going shoeless and metal-free in seconds. and you...rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle...and go. you can even take a full-size or above, and still pay the mid-size price. now this...will work. [ male announcer ] just like you, business pro. just like you.

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our special edition of "starting point" this morning, the gun control debate is raging in the aftermath of the newtown school shooting, as the white house and national polls show a changing attitude. will this tragedy inspire washington to act? here in newton, students returning back to school this morning, but they won't be going back to sandy hook elementary. at least not yet as another little girl laid to re,